Many devices such as a mobile phone, a camera, a projector, a direction indicator, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) and a portable navigation system have a power saving mode such as a sleep mode in order to reduce power consumption of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a display unit (display) included therein.
In the sleep mode, working data stored in a memory during use is kept in the memory as it is, and the same working data is stored also in a hard disk. When a user does not access a device, such as by a screen touch or keyboard input, for a certain time or longer, or when a user performs an operation to enter the sleep mode, the device enters the sleep mode.
The sleep mode is released and the device returns to an operation mode by an access operation such as touching a display screen with a touch panel function, pressing a key on a keyboard, or moving a device body by a certain distance or more, or by performing an operation on a sleep mode release button. In many cases, the device is set so that, even after the sleep mode is released and the device returns to the operation mode, a command cannot be executed unless an operation is performed on an unlock button to release a lock for protection against accidental operation and further a password to release a security lock for ensuring security is entered.
A device having a lock/unlock switch for lock and unlock input can be preset so that, if the lock/unlock switch is set to the lock position, even when a certain command input operation is performed, the command is not input to the CPU. Setting the lock/unlock switch to the lock position and thereby setting the device to the locked state, i.e. enabling the operation of the lock/unlock switch, i.e. enabling the lock, can be made arbitrarily when the device is in a normal operation mode. Further, disabling the operation of the lock/unlock switch, i.e. disabling the lock, can be done arbitrarily when the device is in a normal operation mode.
When the lock is set to be enabled in the device, by setting the lock/unlock switch to the lock position and thereby setting the device to the locked state, the device's state is maintained even in the event of accidental operation not intended by a user. To enable input of a command by touching a display screen with a touch panel function or by pressing a keyboard key, the lock/unlock switch is set to the unlock position. If the device lock is enabled, even in the state where the sleep mode is released and the device returns to an operation mode, the next operation such as entering a password cannot be performed unless the device lock is released by performing an operation on the unlock button.
Without entering a password, the device cannot input the next command (for example, input of a key indicating display of a startup UI for a camera function). In many cases, the device is set to accept input of the next command only when a password is entered in order to prevent theft of personal information or data or tampering with data due to unauthorized use of the device by a malicious third party.
A device has functions that are used in a specific posture, such as a camera, a projector and a direction indicator. For example, the camera function is used with the display screen positioned perpendicularly, and the projector function and the direction indicator function are used with the display screen positioned horizontally in many cases. In a camera on which a lens is mounted with the optical axis perpendicular to the display screen, the display screen needs to be positioned perpendicularly in order to direct the optical axis to a subject such as a person on the ground. Further, in a projector on which a lens is mounted with the optical axis along the longitudinal direction of its body (in parallel with the display screen), the display screen needs to be positioned horizontally in order to project an image or the like on a screen that is suspended perpendicularly to the ground. In this manner, the device posture and the function to be used correspond to each other. Further, in the example of a direction indicator, the bearing of the direction indicated by a specified axis such as the longitudinal axis of the device is accurately displayed on the display screen when the display screen is positioned horizontally, and therefore the device posture and the function to be used (the direction indicator function in this example) correspond to each other as well.
In view of the above, if a device has a posture detection function and, when the posture detection function detects a specific posture or continues to detect the posture for a specified time, a UI corresponding to the posture is automatically presented (which is synonymous with “displayed”) on the display screen, there is no need to input a special operation to display the UI and therefore the device operation becomes quick and convenient.
A device that has a posture detection function and, when a specific posture is detected or continues for a specified time, presents a UI for a specific function associated with the specific posture, is disclosed mainly in Paragraphs 0035 to 0043 in the specification and FIGS. 4 and 5 of Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-182072) as the invention titled “PORTABLE TERMINAL AND RESTORATION CONTROL METHOD FROM DISPLAY POWER SAVING STATE FOR THE SAME”. In the portable terminal according to Patent Literature 1, the posture detection function is implemented by an acceleration sensor.
In the portable terminal according to Patent Literature 1, the acceleration sensor detects a still state, and if the acceleration sensor detects a certain amount of movement (for example, 10 cm) when the portable terminal is in the display power saving state (display OFF), a release trigger of the display power saving state is generated (the still state (1) in FIG. 4) to release the display power saving state. After the display power saving state is released, when the acceleration sensor detects a still state within a specified time (for example, 2 seconds) with the hinge part at an upper position, an incoming email list is displayed (the still state (2) in FIG. 4), when the acceleration sensor detects a still state within a specified time with the hinge part at a lower position, an outgoing and incoming call list is displayed (the still state (3) in FIG. 4), when the acceleration sensor detects a still state within a specified time with the hinge part at a right position, a camera preview is displayed (the still state (4) in FIG. 4), and when the acceleration sensor detects a still state within a specified time with the hinge part at a left position, a TV screen is displayed (the still state (5) in FIG. 4).